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I need a new bed

post #1 of 30
Thread Starter 
I have a few questions.

First..my mattress is sagging big time so I know I need that. The box springs seem to be fine. Should I buy box springs with a mattress or is that all hype to make more money?

My other question is that I have money saved but not a whole lot. Are the mattress outlet stores just as good as buying from a name brand store?

My back appreciates all your input!
post #2 of 30
I got a free boxspring(cheaply made) and put a VERY good matress on it and put a saggy mattress on the good boxspring. Thats worked for a year and a half with no issues. So if it were me I'd just buy the mattress and invest real well. down road can always get a boxspring or platform.

A few places when I looked did offer the boxspring for $1 more but havent looking in a while.

Far as where to buy I would be more concerned that they are stored right and not stored to long(dusty/damp warehouse) I got a cheap matress from big lots that is fine just a bit creaky(husband uses it no issue as hes alot lighter then me...I noticed not enough support) I would not suggest not getting it at bjs as one we got there was very poorly made...Hey we were just starting out and it was that or the floor...:P
post #3 of 30
My advice is to shop around. Usually the mattress and box spring is included in a package, and you can get both for the price of a mattress by itself if they are on sale. And this time of year is a great time to find sales!

Mattress outlet stores are fine. Usually the only problem with them are minor flaws where the pattern didn't match up right so they don't look "pretty" but they are fully functional. They are usually perfect in every other way. We bought our entire bedroom set at an outlet store (queen sleigh bed frame, mattress and box spring, 2 dressers and 2 night stands) for $1250, and they are great! Definitely check a surplus store out.
post #4 of 30
We got our bed on the spur of the moment. We got a good deal because it was a floor sample from a store they had recently closed. They had just put it out before the closing. Sort of like buying a car that had been run around the block once. LOL It just had a smudge or 2 on it.

I think a good mattress can be worth the cost; but do shop around! I've had a back injury; a good bed does make a difference! I'm sure you can even get reviews online!
post #5 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by calico2222 View Post
Usually the mattress and box spring is included in a package
I've never seen box springs marked and displayed with their own price, only that of the set and opting out of it doesn't save money as it's the mattress they tack the large price onto.



What sort of price range are you going to be able to afford? If under $1200-1500 you'll have to stick to conventional spring mattresses for the most part.
I got a very nice set a couple of years ago for around $800 (normal price was around $1500) because it was aftermarket - from the year before when that current "model" had a different fabric on it. I'm not sure how mattresses have trends/fashions concerning fabric but it saved us a lot of money.
post #6 of 30
Do your research before you buy. Go on line, find reviews.

I wish we had done that. We have that stupid sleep number bed. That thing is going to put me in traction yet. Now looking at all the reviews, there are tons of people who dislike it as much as I do. If I knew then what I know now, I would never have purchased it.
post #7 of 30
Thread Starter 
The bed I have now was $800 and some change and it has lasted 10 years...eight of which had a child who likes to jump on the bed .

I can only afford about $500 right now.
post #8 of 30
I strongly encourage you to go to overstock.com and choose a memory foam mattress. All of our beds have them and they are wonderful. Shipping is $2.95 or free, depending on specials, and it gets brought right to your door. You can use your existing box springs as well!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo comfy! I've had mine for 2 years and it's as good as new. When I was in the hospital, I actually FANTASIZED about my bed at home.
post #9 of 30
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
I strongly encourage you to go to overstock.com and choose a memory foam mattress. All of our beds have them and they are wonderful. Shipping is $2.95 or free, depending on specials, and it gets brought right to your door. You can use your existing box springs as well!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo comfy! I've had mine for 2 years and it's as good as new. When I was in the hospital, I actually FANTASIZED about my bed at home.
I was looking there and at the same mattress!

How are they in the summer when hot?
post #10 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by zohdee View Post
The bed I have now was $800 and some change and it has lasted 10 years
What brand is the bed? Many of the more expensive brands have 20-25 year warranties.
post #11 of 30
Zohdee,

We have no problem with heat. The master is upstairs and we keep the thermostat on 78 at night in the summer with a ceiling fan and I still use a sheet and a light quilt.

Cally
post #12 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by zohdee View Post
I was looking there and at the same mattress!

How are they in the summer when hot?
I have a memory foam matress, and it is literally like sleeping on a cloud. I honestly couldn't believe the difference when I switched. It's almost the opposite of sleeping on a normal matress; instead of bouncing you back up when you lay down, it sinks you in and forms the most comfortable pocket around you.

It's not bad over summer either. I used a light sheet in the summerand it's fine.
post #13 of 30
Thread Starter 
I see many thicknesses of the foam mattresses. Is 8" adequate?

I have done some research and those are supposed to be really good for side sleepers, which I am. I am a tosser and turner sleeper. Well, more of a flopper. I don't just roll over, I basically sit up and flop on my other side. It has got so bad that I wake up every hour to flop due to numbness.

I wouldn't bother with a warranty on my old one. I got many years out of it.
post #14 of 30
My memory foam mattress wasn't soft enough for my taste; I put on an inexpensive fluffy mattress cover and now it's wonderful. But eight inches should be fine...the memory foam mattresses don't stand up nearly as high as the pillow-tops.
post #15 of 30
I absolutely love memory foam mattresses, but you have to do your research and watch out for false advertising (particularly on density).

First off, you don't need a foot+ block of memory foam, its pointless and a waste. And you definitely don't want a low density MF, as you'll have no back support and it won't be as durable. Generally standard foams are used for the core, and then different densities of memory foam for the top layers as the higher the density the MF, the higher the cost all else equal, and the lower the density the softer it feels but less support and longevity you get. 4-6lb foams are best for most, although you cooouuuuld get away w/ one of the 3lb foams as a thin top most pillow layer. Too light a topper can make some people feel "stuck" in their bed though as they sink too much and get immobilized.

On the same note, because its only the upper four inches or so of memory foam that you actually feel (memory effect wise), you can go with toppers for a similar result provided your bed is flat. People often use two 2" of different density, or a 3-4" single.

And yes, memory foam does NOT breathe and it will retain heat, however, an easy fix for that in the summer is to simply use a mattress cover with a fluffy cotton top (or artificial material like coolmax) to it, as its only the few millimeters next to your skin that really have to breathe to feel cooler, and you still get the soft feeling of the memory foam underneath. Don't bother with the "ventilated" or eggshell memory foam toppers or beds, as this is marketing nonsense. Not really harmful, but they collapse with weight on them regardless, and are simply used as it allows them to pour less expensive MF into the mold for a given size and thus save money (its similar to using a lower density or they get extra height w/ less material w/ eggshells for advertising's sake).

A nice benefit of memory foam beds btw aside from having a cool clean cut square style to them, is that you don't disturb your partner either. On mine you can jump on one side of the bed and not affect the other in the least and they don't make noise obviously.

Memory foam beds also do not need a boxspring. I personally use a bed w/ slats, just make sure the slats aren't spaced far apart for proper support of the mattress.

Hope that helps.
post #16 of 30
Oh yeah, also plan on memory foam beds and toppers STINKING. They are supposed to air them out in a warehouse first, but there's always still a bit of chemical odor.

So for my two, my buds, and my parents, we just let it air out in a spare room for a week, and then it was perfectly fine.
post #17 of 30
I have a 12 inch mattress--12 inches of heaven! I would recommend putting it on the box springs.

There is a bit of odor when you first open it up and unroll it. Yes, I said UNROLL it, because if you get it from Overstock, that's what you'll get--a giant roll. Mine was fine after 24 hours.

Keep us posted.
post #18 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
I have a 12 inch mattress--12 inches of heaven!
Oh btw, I didn't mean to mislead, mine is 12 inches thick too, just saying that the actual memory foam part of that bed is only the upper portion.

The majority of the bed will be a cheaper standard open cell base layer if you were to cut it in half.

G'luck!
post #19 of 30
Ducman is correct. I have a tall bed, so I wanted to maintain the look so got the 12 inch mattress. It all depends on what works for your set up.
post #20 of 30
Thread Starter 
Got it today and watching it expand...can't wait for a nap!!

I already have all the cats on the bed...GAH!!

I just want to go to bed and not wake up every single hour due to pain.
post #21 of 30
Woo hoo!!! Isn't it cool watching it expand? Give it 2-3 days to reach "full perfection!"

ENJOY!
post #22 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires View Post
I strongly encourage you to go to overstock.com and choose a memory foam mattress. All of our beds have them and they are wonderful. Shipping is $2.95 or free, depending on specials, and it gets brought right to your door. You can use your existing box springs as well!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo comfy! I've had mine for 2 years and it's as good as new. When I was in the hospital, I actually FANTASIZED about my bed at home.
I bought my memory foam mattress from Overstock.com in 2008. I love it! I can't believe how well it's held up. There's no dents or depressions in it...it still looks and feels like new. I was miserable when I had to sleep in hotels over the last couple of years. I bought one for my parents for Christmas. They've had it for about 4 months (it came early) and they love it too. I just wish I had done it sooner...

FWIW, neither mine, nor the one I got for my parents, had any smell at all to them. Maybe we were just lucky.
post #23 of 30
I just read through all this, and memory foam sounds nice! BF has been wanting to get a new mattress for a while now, he isn't sleeping to well these days, or waking up with back issues... I guess it's about 9.5 years old, I don't know what brand or where he got it from though. But yeah, it's saggy. I will mention Overstock.com to BF to look for mattresses!!

zohdee- I hope you enjoy your new bed when it's fully poofed up!!
post #24 of 30
If these memory foam mattresses are as great as you all make them sound, I'm afraid I'd get one and then never want to leave the bed! Getting up is hard enough as it is.

Zohdee, congratulations on your purchase; I hope you love it!
post #25 of 30
I'm so glad I decided to open this thread.

A cruise ship I was on a few years ago had memory foam on the beds. It was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. I've been looking at the Tempurpedic beds since then, but they're horribly expensive and require a special base (also expensive). I wasn't aware that there were other memory foam mattresses out there. I'll have to check into the ones at overstock. It sounds like it could be the perfect solution.
post #26 of 30
Some mattresses are designed to go with a specific box spring. Also, many bed manufactures will void the mattress warranty if it is not used in conjunction with the box spring that it was meant to accompany it. I know that is the case with my bed. If I didn't use the box spring that was designed for the mattress, I would not have a mattress warranty.

But I know what you mean by a saggy bed! I just bought my mattress and box spring in November 2009, and it's sagging in the middle already. It has a 4" pillow top and I was told that it would "indent", but I had no idea as to the degree of that indentation. When I'm in bed I feel like I'm sleeping in a gully. It's difficult to roll over because I'm rolling up a hill each time. It was my first conventional bed purchase, and I consider it an expensive learning experience. I will be buying a new bed later this year again, and I know what to look for and what to avoid now.
post #27 of 30
I hope you find one you like and can afford. I would be sure it comes encased in plastic. I am bed bug paranoid.
post #28 of 30
My husband and I are also in the market for a new bed. We were thinking about a memory foam mattress. We bought a memory foam topper and I woke up with back pain after the first night sleeping on it. I tried sleeping on it for a few more nights but my back pain just got worse. We removed it and my back started feeling better. After a week my back was 100% better, so we tried the topper again, and sure enough my back pain returned. My husband loved the topper, and I feel bad that it bothered my back so much.

So, now we aren't sure if a memory foam will work for me. Our current mattress is about 5 years old and sagging in the middle. It doesn't bother my back at all, but it is uncomfortable to my husband.
post #29 of 30
Thread Starter 
I slept very well last night, but getting up was another matter.

When I went to bed last night, my back sounded like popcorn popping. I have been sleeping on a saggy mattress for awhile now. I didn't have the stabbing pains I would get on my traditional mattress but getting out of bed was hard. It was more of a muscle pain. I attribute that to how my spine is adjusting to a more stable bed.

My cats love it too!!!
post #30 of 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by Washu View Post
My husband and I are also in the market for a new bed. We were thinking about a memory foam mattress. We bought a memory foam topper and I woke up with back pain after the first night sleeping on it. I tried sleeping on it for a few more nights but my back pain just got worse. We removed it and my back started feeling better. After a week my back was 100% better, so we tried the topper again, and sure enough my back pain returned. My husband loved the topper, and I feel bad that it bothered my back so much.

So, now we aren't sure if a memory foam will work for me. Our current mattress is about 5 years old and sagging in the middle. It doesn't bother my back at all, but it is uncomfortable to my husband.
I tried one of the foam toppers once and it was horrible. I hurt all over by the time I got up. It definitely wasn't like sleeping on the memory foam mattress I had on the cruise ship. I think the topper was too thin and too soft. Since it wasn't actually attached to the mattress the edges lifted up when I laid in the middle and kind of trapped me in a furrow. Fortunately, I was able to return it to the store and get my money back.

I don't know if going to a store where you can try the memory foam mattresses would help. I don't think they let you spend the whole night there.
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